Argentina - Apoyo Escolar San Francisco

The organization

Provides educational support, recreational activities and two daily meals to more than 70 children who go to the center in the mornings and attend regular schools in the afternoon. Its mission is to prevent school desertion and the grave consequences of the children growing up in the streets. They take the child as a whole, taking into account their individual talents, developing their creativity and helping them make good use of their free time. They work very closely with the families and the children’s schools. - See more at: www.apoyosanfrancisco.com.ar

Daily Life

A normal day at Apoyo San Francisco starts at 8 AM with breakfast (coffee, tea or mate with milk and cookies). Then the children are divided into 4 groups depending on the grade they attend. During the first period the students do their homework. This helps the students at school, and allows the teacher to come up with a diagnosis of the educational situation of each one of them, and can guide them in what issues to work on.

After a break, special projects take place:

• Math: along with the emphasis on basic operations, a project was created with different stages of problems and games so as to encourage creativity in solving problems and learning how to use this knowledge in everyday life.

• Science: after a first stage of training teachers, students started doing experiments for several months, which lead to the annual Apoyo San Francisco Science Fair.

• Reading and Writing: besides reading and working on a book chosen by the teacher, in 2010 Apoyo San Francisco wrote its second book, "Among stories and treasures” (Entre cuentos y tesoros) which was presented at Cruz del Sur school. This added to the pedagogical objectives of the book, a social dimension, since it is not the same to write just for oneself, than it is to write for others.

• P. E.: classes are twice a week, where besides learning sports, children are also taught to follow directives, manage their emotions, work as a part of a team, self-respect, respect towards the others.

• Lunch: at 12 PM lunch is served before the children go to school. The menu includes chicken with rice, pasta and beef, polenta, lentil stew and fruit, custard or jello.

Recreational activities: children and teens attend plays, go on field trips, all birthdays are celebrated, and they enjoy a whole week of summer camp every year.

Most of these activities can be carried out thanks to a group of volunteers who work with the children 1 on 1, assisting in workshops, management and events.

Accomplishments

Manos del Sur improved their lives by funding programs in nutrition, education and after-school support programs. In addition, they collaborated in the vast improvement of the infrastructure.